All posts by h716a5.icu

There was a mixture of delight and relief for Chris Read after he played a key role in helping Nottinghamshire end a 24-year wait for one-day silverware with the YB40

Andrew McGlashan21-Sep-2013There was a mixture of delight and relief for Chris Read after he played a key role in helping Nottinghamshire end a 24-year wait for one-day silverware with the YB40 title.His run-a-ball 53 helped them recover from a precarious 90 for 4 and also provided Read with a rare success with the bat in what was been a lean season for the Nottinghamshire captain. This was just his second half-century in all cricket for the summer; he has averaged 19 in the Championship and before Lord’s had 93 runs in nine innings during the YB40.However, his final effort was the best of Read with scampering running, deft placement and some thumping boundaries and he believes the make-or-break nature of the contest helped free his mind for the crucial innings.”I’ve been terrible,” he said. “In all honesty I’ve done nothing different, I’ve worked so, so hard hitting balls left, right and centre and it just hasn’t worked for me this season. I’ve been consistent for a lot of seasons now so it’s had me thinking this season about what exactly is going wrong.”At the end of the day sometimes it takes a big game like this to actually say that what it’s about is watching that ball and trying to do the best you can for your team. That’s what I set out to do from the start and did it pretty well.”Read has been part of two Championship triumphs with Nottinghamshire but he admitted there were times when he wondered if he would ever play a showpiece final at Lord’s.”This is something that is been nagging at me for a number of years – can we get to a Lord’s final, can we do it in my career? So to have got there, to have won and lifted the trophy is a fantastic feeling, it’s right up there.”Although the last trophy of the season has now been decided – to go alongside Northamptonshire’s FLt20 success, the Division One crown for Durham and Lancashire’s Division Two title – it is not quite the end of the domestic season. For Nottinghamshire there is much still riding on the final week of the Championship.They and Somerset, who play each other at Trent Bridge, are jostling near the relegation zone and even though there is 15-point cushion to Derbyshire it is too close to comfort for Read’s liking but he hopes the confidence from their Lord’s victory can give them one final push.”I hope the momentum and the joy we’ve experienced today will carry on through next week. We have played some good red-ball cricket, although for the most part it has been a mightily disappointing season. To go into the last game not knowing if you’ll be in Division One next year, for a side as big as we are and with a squad of such quality, is very disappointing. It’s a different form, one we’ve not been overly successful in in recent months but we’ve got to come out fighting on Tuesday. We are fighting for survival which is integral for the club.”And neither is Read’s future at Trent Bridge entirely signed and sealed. He has been offered a new contract, but with the club still battling Championship safety and having the YB40 to focus on further talks have been put on the backburner.”The situation we’ve been in, with our precarious position in the Championship and this final, we decided to park it until the end of the season and see where we are at,” Read said. “We’ll have a good sit down and work out where the club needs to go and where I need to go and how we can go about building Nottinghamshire for the future.”

The personnel in Zimbabwe cricket are mostly the same, the ethos is the same, the hope is the same but something has changed. Much like the country

Firdose Moonda in Harare16-Apr-2013Progress is measured by how much things have changed. In Zimbabwe, it is judged by how much they have stayed the same over the last while.When I came here in 2011 to cover their Test comeback, things were spoken about as being “not so bad”. That meant shops were almost fully stocked, even with items like milk that were unobtainable in the past, and the electricity supply remained stable most of the time. More importantly, so did the currency. Dollarisation gave Zimbabwe some certainty and because the greenback is still around, some of the calmness is too.The streets are still wide enough to remind you this is Africa, the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel is still $30, Harare Sports Club still has the faded grandeur of an old Volkswagen Beetle, the Red Lion pub still has people topping up at 9am, and Vusi Sibanda still pulls.Two years later, he manages to do it without looking as though he is going to get out. How important that could be for Zimbabwe in the next two weeks.Their series against Bangladesh is not about cricket. It is about pride. That is a big deal for the minnows because they don’t have things like maces to play for.To understand, understand this: Zimbabwe view Bangladesh in the same way Manchester United feel about their noisy neighbours, the way the Red Sox envy the Yankees, or the way Bjorn Borg looked at John McEnroe. The difference is that Zimbabwe have neither the glamour nor the fight to match any of those. All they have is the dream and that is quickly becoming inadequate.It’s not enough to have Grant Flower doing throwdown after throwdown, it’s not enough to have Ray Price’s inextinguishable energy bowling over after over, it’s not enough to have Brian Vitori’s determination running in again and again. The talent needs structure.Like paint, if it is left to run, all that will be created will be an obscure indistinguishable albeit artistic picture and Zimbabwe Cricket is like a Jackson Pollock work: no-one can explain it, or what has gone wrong with it.After presenting the world, including me, with the single rose bud that was the 2011 Test win over Bangladesh, the full flowering did not follow.Some of it can be explained by funds drying up. Some of it by the departure of Alan Butcher and culling of Heath Streak’s services as bowling coach. Some of it by Craig Ervine accepting a deal to play club cricket in Ireland over a winter contract back home. But some of it cannot be explained at all.Flower is still committed to the cause. Stephen Mangongo, the interim coach, is too. The players are still behind him. They still arrive at training with eagerness, they still request extra time in the nets, they still listen attentively when spoken to, and they still care. Their conundrum is whether they can do anything to show that.Zimbabwean cricket is caught in a timewarp. The personnel are mostly the same, the ethos is the same, the hope is the same but something has changed. Much like the country.At the airport, the signs have been upgraded to include writing in Chinese, a reflection of the investment coming in from the East. Air Zimbabwe, the ill-fated carrier that I have tried and failed to fly on twice (yet have now made a third booking on) is operational. They have a billboard to prove it.Other things have stayed as they were. The South African Rand is still exchanged at 10 to the dollar here, which is finally more accurate than it was in 2011 when seven would have been the going rate. The process to get media accreditation is still as arduous as it was before.If you want to understand that inexplicable cliché about the more things change, the more they stay the same, come to Zimbabwe. Then, know that the players would give anything for their performance to be as good as it was in August 2011 when they beat Bangladesh. That would be exactly the change they need to restart their cricket, yet again. And the sense of achievement would be the exactly same as it was then.

David Warner has been fined AUD5750 (around US$ 5600) for his Twitter outburst at two Australian journalists at the weekend

Brydon Coverdale22-May-2013David Warner has been fined A$5750 (around US$5600) for his Twitter outburst at two Australian journalists at the weekend. Warner pleaded guilty to breaching the Cricket Australia Code of Behaviour when he launched a tirade of tweets at the News Limited journalists Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn during the early hours of Saturday morning, initially in response to a comment piece on the IPL written by Craddock and later as part of a back-and-forth exchange with Conn.Warner, who returned to Australia from the IPL on Wednesday, was found guilty at a Code of Behaviour hearing and received the maximum financial penalty for a first offence. He had been reported by Cricket Australia for unbecoming behaviour.”In hindsight, clearly I let my frustrations get the better of me and posted some inappropriate tweets last weekend,” Warner said after the hearing. “While I disagreed with the story and my image being used alongside the story, I could have chosen my words better and I apologise for any offence that my language may have caused. I’ll continue to have honest conversations with all my followers and I will be mindful of the language I use in future.”Warner’s comments might have earned him a fine but have not had a major effect on his future leadership ambitions, according to the Cricket Australia hierarchy. Warner was briefly named vice-captain of Australia’s ODI team early in 2012 and has been considered a potential future leader of the national side, although he was overlooked for the vice-captaincy this year when Brad Haddin was named Michael Clarke’s deputy for the Ashes and George Bailey for the Champions Trophy.”‘You never rule a line through someone in terms of their ultimate leadership potential in terms of a captain or vice-captain,” James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said. “There are plenty of players in the past that have tripped themselves up and gone on to become fantastic leaders in Australian cricket and I’m sure David is one of those that could continue to step up as a leader even if he never gets a title.”Clarke agreed that Warner had leadership potential and said there would be no chance that the Australia players would scale back their social media output as a result of the episode.”The one thing I’ve been very disciplined about is allowing people to be themselves,” Clarke said. “At the end of the day we’re all old enough and wise enough to know what you are required to do as an Australian cricketer. There’s certainly been no talk of stopping players using social media, I think it’s a fantastic way to give back to fans.”I think Davey has great potential to be a leader of the Australian cricket team. He’s a wonderful guy and wonderful player. He’s learnt from this … and if he continues to grow as he has over the last few years, there’s no reason why he hasn’t got the potential to captain Australia one day.”

Dale Benkenstein will captain MCC in the Champion County fixture against Warwickshire in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2013Dale Benkenstein will captain MCC in the Champion County fixture against Warwickshire in Abu Dhabi, while Rahul Dravid and Shaun Tait will add some star quality for the Emirates Airline Twenty20 event that precedes the four-day game.As has become the norm, the Champion County match will be played under floodlights at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Benkenstein will be joined by Steve Kirby, the Somerset fast bowler, and Middlesex batsman Dawid Malan – both previously played in 2010 and 2011.Simon Kerrigan, the Lancashire and England Lions left-arm spinner, who took eight wickets in the contest last year, is the frontline slow bowler, while Alan Richardson and Peter Trego, two stalwarts of the county game, are also included.The other batsmen currently in the squad are Jimmy Adams, Joe Denly and Sam Northeast. Two more names will be added in the near future. The four-day game takes place from March 24 to 27.Before the Champion County game, MCC, Warwickshire and Sussex will compete for the Emirates Airline Twenty20 Trophy. Dravid, who scored a hundred in the 2011 Champion County match against Nottinghamshire, and Tait, who both play for Rajasthan Royals, will be part of the squad for the two-day event before heading to India for the IPL.John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said, “Since the decision was first made four years ago to play the Champion County fixture in Abu Dhabi as a day-night match, national cricket boards from around the world have subsequently trialled the format. All of this research has recently culminated in the ICC officially sanctioning the possibility of playing day-night Test cricket, which MCC has been calling for since 2009 in a bid to re-energise Tests in countries where crowds are falling.”The fact that evidence from previous Champion County fixtures has contributed to this decision greatly highlights MCC’s global research and development role, and the 2013 match against Warwickshire will build on this platform.”MCC squad (two more to be added) Dale Benkenstein (capt), Jimmy Adams, Joe Denly, Rahul Dravid (T20 only), Simon Kerrigan, Steve Kirby, Dawid Malan, Sam Northeast, Alan Richardson, Shaun Tait (T20 only), Peter Trego

Pakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2013
Scorecard
Abdur Rehman’s unbeaten 35 dragged Pakistan out of trouble and guided them to victory [file photo]•Getty ImagesPakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley. After choosing to bat, the hosts began well, with captain Stephen Cook and his opening partner Quinton de Kock adding 55 at better than a run a ball. De Kock went on to make a half-century and it seemed, at 170 for 3 in the 32nd over, that the South African side would be able to reach 300. In a final score of 266, de Kock was ultimately the only half-centurion; Temba Bavuma was next to him with 43, and Pakistan were able to give themselves a good shot at a successful chase.Their openers delivered a strong start, Imran Farhat and Nasir Jamshed adding 53 in 9.4 overs. Kamran Akmal then made 47, adding 49 with Misbah-ul-Haq for the fourth wicket after Younis Khan had been dismissed for a duck. At 139 for 3 in the 26th over, Pakistan were on track, but they slipped to 189 for 7; two of those four wickets were claimed by legspinner Imran Tahir.But Pakistan’s lower order showed a lot of mettle, and Abdur Rehman and Umar Gul built a stand that revived hopes of victory. Rehman batted patiently to make an unbeaten 35, while Gul at the other end was more attacking, scoring 30 off 34, with four fours and a six. Pakistan were still in trouble when Gul fell with the score on 234, and the hosts were on the brink when they claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the 46th over to make it 242 for 9. But Junaid Khan was reliable company for Rehman, and though the required-rate had touched almost six with just a wicket in hand, the pair guided Pakistan home.In the final over bowled by Lizaad Williams, victory was sealed off the fourth delivery.

Gloucestershire have appointed Hamish Marshall to captain their T20 side, in place of Alex Gidman – their captain in all formats since 2009.

Alex Winter11-Jun-2012Gloucestershire have appointed Hamish Marshall to captain their Friends Life t20 side, in place of Alex Gidman – their captain in all formats since 2009.Marshall, the former New Zealand batsman, has scored 1,669 T20 runs in 72 innings and he also played three T20s for New Zealand before sacrificing his international career in 2007.John Bracewell, Gloucestershire director of cricket, said: “Having Hamish at the helm will allow Alex Gidman an opportunity, in what has been an exceptionally busy start to the season, to freshen up and for the team to hear a new voice during this time.”Gidman has been Gloucestershire captain since taking over from Jon Lewis. He is closing in on 1,000 T20 runs but his side have failed to make any impression on the competition since reaching Finals Day for the second time in 2007 when they lost to Kent in the final at Edgbaston.Gloucestershire’s other appearance at Finals Day came at Trent Bridge in the inaugural year of T20 in 2003 where they lost to eventual winners Surrey in the semi-final: Gidman’s 61 could not get his side home as they fell five runs short.They also lost to Surrey in 2006 – the only other occasion where they have progressed out of the group stage – in a quarter-final at Bristol. They open their 2012 campaign against Somerset at Bristol on Thursday.Their overseas player is former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan but Kevin O’Brien, Gloucestershire’s second overseas player from last season, has signed for Somerset.O’Brien scored a 44-ball hundred in Gloucestershire’s world-record domestic T20 score against Middlesex at last season, an innings where Marshall also scored a century from 53-balls. It was the first T20 innings in which two players have scored a century.

Two vicious bursts from Sohail Tanvir and Thilan Samaraweera’s hitherto-unsuspected shot repertoire saw Kandurata Warriors comfortably beat Uthura Rudras

The Report by Andrew Fernando18-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThilan Samaraweera slammed his highest Twenty20 score of 71, off 45 balls•Shaun Roy/SPORTZPICS/SLPLTwo vicious bursts from Sohail Tanvir and Thilan Samaraweera’s hitherto-unsuspected shot repertoire saw Kandurata Warriors comfortably beat Uthura Rudras. The victory is the first for the Warriors in the Sri Lanka Premier League, leaving the Rudras the only winless side after three matches. In pursuit of 169, the Rudras’ chances were dented by Tanvir’s first two overs, which yielded two wickets for nine. When John Hastings claimed two of his own soon after, the Rudras’ most dangerous batsmen were already back in the dug-out, and they were faced with a required rate of well above nine, from 34 for 4. Earlier in the evening Samaraweera had blasted 71, to send the Warriors on their way to an imposing total, hitting nine fours and a six in his 45-ball stay.Tanvir was close to unplayable in his first two overs, as he swung the ball prodigiously away from the right-hand batsmen, and got plenty to jag back off the seam as well. Rob Quiney knew no more about the indipper that sent him back second ball, than Mahela Udawatte knew about the one that uprooted his off stump in Tanvir’s next over. Brendan Taylor and Chamara Kapugedara were quickly removed by Hastings, and when Jehan Mubarak fell to Saeed Ajmal for 13, the Rudras had lost their top five for 54. Dillon du Preez launched three boundaries to spark hope of an unlikely recovery, but when the rains came down at 105 for 7 from 16 overs, the Rudras’ fate was sealed.Sanath Jayasuriya earlier took guard at the top of the innings for the first time in the SLPL, but it was partner Samaraweera who was the unlikely source of early momentum for the Warriors. Four boundaries in seven balls began Samaraweera’s assault and signaled he wasn’t just there to play second fiddle to Jayasuriya. Having made mere spectators out of several opening partners during his international career, Jayasuriya watched on this time, as the once obdurate Samaraweera showcased a startling array of strokes, including two over-the-shoulder-scoops off Naved-ul-Hasan. At Jayasuriya’s demise at 50 for 1, he had only made five runs, and Samaraweera’s 27-ball 50 proved the catalyst for a dominating Warriors performance.

Chris Gayle’s return to the West Indies squad is likely to be delayed after fresh doubts emerged over his availability for the ODI leg of the upcoming England tour

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Apr-2012Chris Gayle’s return to the West Indies squad is likely to be delayed after fresh doubts emerged over his availability for the ODI leg of the upcoming England tour, pouring cold water over the hard-earned resolution reached between him and the West Indies Cricket Board by CARICOM (the Caribbean Community).Earlier this month Gayle had sent a request to Ernest Hilaire, the WICB chief executive, asking the board if he would be selected for the ODI leg of the England tour in June; this was to help him clarify his availability for Somerset, with whom he had signed as an overseas player for the summer. Hilaire, in his response, has accused Gayle of “reneging” on the undertaking the player had given in the presence of St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, stating he would make himself available to play for West Indies over Somerset.”I write to you with respect to the upcoming West Indies tour of England scheduled for May 2 – June 25, 2012. As previously indicated, I am willing to make myself available to play for West Indies for this tour after my obligations to my IPL team are fulfilled,” Gayle said in his e-mail, available to ESPNcricinfo, dated April 20.Gayle, who last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, told Hilaire that having signed a contract with Somerset, the county required him to “give an undertaking” of his availability for the entire duration of the contract, which clashed with West Indies’ tour of England. Somerset have five Friends Life t20 games scheduled during the time West Indies play three ODIs and a T20I against England.”I would appreciate if I could be informed whether I will be contracted for the West Indies Team for England Tour before I give my commitment to Somerset,” Gayle said. “I only ask this so I would be in an informed position before I respond to Somerset, given the fact that I indicated my availability to the West Indies Team after the IPL,” Gayle said, requesting an immediate reply.In his response, sent on April 26, Hilaire said that “the Board has now considered your request and is extremely disappointed that, following the progress we had seemed to be making towards final agreement, you now seem unwilling to honour the commitment you made with respect to your Somerset contract.”According to Hilaire, Gayle had sent a “side letter” to Gonsalves on March 23, stating that he would “forego” his Somerset contract in order to make himself available to play for West Indies. “You reiterated this commitment in your April 1 letter, in response to WICB’s request for clarification,” Hilaire said. “Your most recent communication appears to suggest that you may be reneging on your availability as you now state that you are willing to make yourself available and not that you are making yourself available. A player cannot be considered for selection if he has not made himself available for selection.”According to Hilaire, during the meeting between Gonsalves, Gayle and the WICB, it was made clear to Gayle that selection matters did not come under the “purview” of the board. “The Board cannot give any commitment to any player with respect to his selection for a particular match or tour; but we will ask the Chairman of Selectors to have a discussion with you on issues relating to your selection at the earliest, in anticipation that you will meet all eligibility requirements,” Hilaire told Gayle.The ball is now once again in Gayle’s court with Hilaire asking the player to come up with an instant reply.

Jim Troughton has said that the pain of being pipped to the Championship last year is providing the drive behind his side’s impressive start to 2012

Jon Culley at The Oval26-May-2012
ScorecardJim Troughton, the Warwickshire captain, has said that the pain of being pipped to the Championship last year is providing the drive behind his side’s impressive start to the 2012 campaign, which continued with a five-wicket victory over Surrey that took only 32 minutes of the final morning to wrap up.Tim Ambrose finished unbeaten on 89 with his partner Rikki Clarke 40 not out as Warwickshire completed their recovery from 37 for 4 to win comfortably after Surrey failed to find the early wickets they needed.”After getting so close but not winning last year I think the pain has been in everyone’s mind through the winter and we have used that memory to make sure that when we have got into good positions in games we have nailed it,” Troughton said.”We have not necessarily had things all our own way in the games so far and we have fought back from difficult periods as well as being ruthless when we have been on top. I think that is the key in four-day cricket. To win tight games creates that belief that you can win from anywhere. Gareth Batty bowled very well and, after we were 30-odd for 4, Surrey and their supporters probably thought it would be done and dusted in three days.Troughton applauded his seam bowlers for filling the gaps created by early-season injuries to Chris Woakes and Boyd Rankin and said his batsman are dismantling the notion that without Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, or overseas assistance from the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Mohammad Yousuf, both of whom contributed to their success last year, they are lightweights.”Chanderpaul and Yousuf were a big factor last year but we have a batting line-up that is maturing with the likes of Porterfield and Varun Chopra and there is experience in the mix and someone has always put their hand up at crucial times,” he said. “The only one not to do that has been me.”Referring to his own current lean streak, which has seen him score only 50 runs in nine Championship innings so far with a second-innings duck in this match, Troughton said he did not doubt his form would return.”Guys like Bell and Trott have told me that as long as you don’t start chasing your tail, as long as you keep doing the things that have brought you runs in the past, you will turn it round. I’m lucky that the boys have picked up the slack but as long as I remain positive and keep working in the nets I’m sure that a big performance when the guys need me will come out.”As much as Ambrose and Porterfield were the match-winners with the bat, Jeetan Patel’s 6 for 95 was a significant influence on the outcome as Surrey, who had been under par in the first innings, improved in the second but still were restricted to 245 on a good batting surface.Patel was outshone as an individual by his fellow offspinner, Gareth Batty, who finished with 10 wickets in a match for only the second time in his career but admitted he would have swapped his figures for a win.”The stats say I had a good match but while I want to do my job for the team I would have taken none for 300 if we had taken 20-odd points from the match,” he said.”The game was made difficult on day one for us when we played poorly in all facets. When you come back well to get back in the game but lose it on the final day it is easy to identify where we fell down.””If we had opened with four maidens and maybe taken a wicket we would have had one end open and it could have been very exciting but once they got one or two away the challenge was always going to be easier for them.”Three fours from Clarke, a former Surrey allrounder, of course, in the same Stuart Meaker over tipped the balance decisively Warwickshire’s way, probably denying Ambrose the opportunity for a century into the bargain.

A round-up of the fourth day’s play from the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy Elite League

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2012Semi-final news

Mumbai play Tamil Nadu in one semi-final in Mumbai. Haryana play Rajasthan in the other semi-final in Lahli.
Umpire Peter Hartley will officiate in the semi-final in Mumbai as part of an umpire exchange programme between the BCCI and ECB.

Hyderabad finished their Ranji Trophy campaign on a bright note but it was Rajasthan who had greater reason to celebrate at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, having qualified for the semi-finals of the competition for the second straight season. The final day didn’t belong to the defending champions but they had virtually shut out their opponents after gaining a massive first-innings lead and bowling Hyderabad out for 144 in the first innings.After following on, the Hyderabad openers, Dwaraka Ravi Teja and Akshath Reddy made merry, smashing big hundreds. Captain Ravi Teja made 185, striking 12 fours, and Reddy made 151, hitting 14 fours and four sixes. The pair scored at a healthy pace, adding 275 for the opening wicket in 74 overs. T Suman came in after the fall of the first wicket and belted 59 in 51 balls and Hyderabad declared on 431 for 2, setting Rajasthan a target of 155 and with the hope of causing a collapse that might force an outright result.That didn’t happen, however, as the Rajasthan openers progressed at a snail’s pace, seeing off 20 overs, scoring just 25 runs without less before the game ended. The defending champions went through to the semi-finals on the basis of a first-innings lead, and they’ll take on Haryana in Rohtak on January 10.Hyderabad, though, made their way to the knockout stage from the Plate League and will begin the next season in the Elite League.Tamil Nadu confirmed their place in the semi-final by way of a first-innings lead against Maharashtra at Chepauk. The final day was largely inconsequential, though the Maharashtra openers Harshad Khadiwale and Chirag Khurana helped themselves to centuries. But TN were always favourites to go through, having gained a first-innings lead of 183. Kedar Jadhav scored a half-century and Maharashtra declared on 322 for 4 in 93 overs, setting TN a target of 140. The hosts finished with 45 for 1 in 14 overs before the game ended.TN made the semis last year as well but were stopped short by Rajasthan, who went on to win the competition. This year, they will face powerhouses Mumbai in Mumbai. Centuries from Mohnish Mishra and Devendra Bundela helped Madhya Pradesh end their campaign on a good note, but Mumbai, with a significant first-innings lead, ensured they went through to the semis. Read the full report of the contest in Indore here.